Interview: Cardinals at Hyde Park Book Club
Image Credit: James Mirfield
Amid a hectic gig schedule, Cardinals stopped in at Leeds’s Hyde Park Book Club. To a packed-out basement, the Cork five-piece delivered a scintillating set of their unique brand of rock. Finn Manning’s accordion proves the most immediate of idiosyncrasies, but certainly not the only one. Indeed, each band member forms part of a truly compelling whole, from Finn’s brother Euan Manning’s poetic vocals and rhythm guitar to the restless drums and bass of Darragh Manning and Aaron Hurley, completed by the shoegaze-flecked lead guitar of Oskar Gudinovic. They are hypnotic; the immediacy and vigour of their songwriting seems almost at odds with their laid-back demeanour as they begin with ‘Twist and Turn’, the opening track from last year’s debut EP, Cardinals. The song sets the tone for Cardinal’s blend of dynamic rock, but there’s more. With each song they take their sound in a slightly different direction. Each member demands attention – an intriguing drum groove, creeping bassline, flourish of accordion – but never to the point of detracting from the whole. It’s a seemingly unbreakable spell. They round out the set with ‘If I Could Make You Care’, the closing track from the EP that begins with lyrics and accordion slowly coiling about one another before swelling to a noisy, swirling, guitar led crescendo.
After the gig, I sat down with Euan Manning to reflect on the night, and Cardinals’ exciting trajectory.
There is a genuine chemistry between band members, who in recent months have travelled around Europe, and returned to New York for the second time in March. “The reality of the industry that we’re in now has kind of kicked in”, says Manning. “It’s brought us together. We’ve matured as a group and kind of hit off each other a bit better.” Their cohesion is evident; live, they appear a band mature beyond their years. As for songwriting, Manning describes the feeling of first bringing ideas into the group. “It’s solitary and it’s collaborative”, he says. The finished results are most definitely greater than the sum of their parts. Look no further than the trad-infused ‘Roseland’, also featured on the EP, where each musician’s abilities are magnificently exhibited.
A diverse range of ages at the gig is testament to a sound that transcends current trends, and it’s something that Manning is acutely aware of in his favourite music. “I listen to a Beach Boys song and it’s from the 60s and they’re from California and my life is totally removed from theirs, and yet somehow their lyrics or the music can capture the way that you feel.” At risk of sounding sensational, Cardinals also manage to capture this transcendent property, with lyrics that while catchy, prove also thoroughly poetic. Perhaps this quality is down to a common enjoyment of literature: he cites Flann O’Brien, Kevin Barry, and fellow Corkonian Frank O’Connor. He also mentions Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, the darkness of which has influenced his writing: “I feel like the stuff we’re writing definitely has dark twists to it. But it’s not so dark that it can’t be funny as well, you know”, he adds.
It’s these influences, whether Californian, Irish, or otherwise that collectively inspire a band who are resolutely the architects of their own sound. “We feel confident that we’re doing our own thing and pursuing a musical style that’s interesting to us”, says Manning, and it’s clear that they aren’t interested in comparisons. We discuss the frustrating habit of putting new bands in boxes and Manning neatly summarises. “You go on YouTube and the top comment is like ‘this lad’s fucking Morrissey’ or ‘he’s doing a good Marr’. ‘This is a mix between X, X, and X’, and it’s like well-done, you have such a wonderful knowledge of 80s British music.” The same goes for that ubiquitous moniker of ‘postpunk’. He reminisces: “My dad said, ‘what’s post punk? That’s just everything that came after punk. Christy Moore is postpunk.’”
Cardinals will want to develop on their cliché-free sound as they look to their next release. Conversation turns towards their future, and Manning is assured as the band begin work on a full-length debut. “I feel more confident about this stuff, and more confident as a band. I’m looking forward to it. It’s more concise thematically and sonically, and it feels truer to us.” If this project is to be a further refinement of Cardinals’ sound, they are sure to continue to defy lazy comparisons and outdated labels. As for their current output, each song represents a clear step on the path of a band carving out their identity. “I’ve always said with recorded music, it’s just a snapshot of what the song was when it was recorded”, says Manning. Take ‘Get It’. Released at the end of last year, the single saw the band confidently negotiate a poppier sound – a promise of diverse offerings ahead.
Between taking to the studio and performing at Fontaines D.C.’s huge headline Finsbury Park show, summer 2025 promises big things for Cardinals. Their music is refreshing, interesting, and thoroughly original.
Listen to their new single ‘Big Empty Heart’ – Out Now!
Words by Joseph Macaulay